Although the size, construction, and quality of homes vary across Europe, housing affordability remains a widespread challenge throughout the region.
In this graphic, Visual Capitalist's Bruno Venditti visualizes the homeownership rate in select European countries in 2023, according to Statista.
Housing Supply
At the top of our ranking, Albania has a homeownership rate of 96% among adults.
It’s possible to buy a two-bedroom apartment with 100m² in the capital of the Balkan country, Tirana, for €287,000 ($315,000).
In contrast, only 42% of people own property in Switzerland. A similar-sized apartment in Zurich costs around CHF 1,095,000 ($1.28 million).
| Country | Homeownership Rate (%) |
|---|---|
| Albania | 96 |
| Romania | 96 |
| Slovakia | 94 |
| Serbia | 92 |
| Croatia | 91 |
| Montenegro | 91 |
| Hungary | 91 |
| Lithuania | 89 |
| Poland | 87 |
| Bulgaria | 86 |
| North Macedonia | 86 |
| Latvia | 83 |
| Estonia | 81 |
| Norway | 79 |
| Portugal | 76 |
| Czechia | 76 |
| Spain | 75 |
| Slovenia | 75 |
| Italy | 75 |
| Malta | 75 |
| Belgium | 72 |
| Netherlands | 70 |
| Greece | 70 |
| Ireland | 69 |
| Finland | 69 |
| European Union (27) | 69 |
| Cyprus | 69 |
| Luxembourg | 68 |
| United Kingdom | 65 |
| Sweden | 65 |
| France | 63 |
| Denmark | 60 |
| Turkey | 57 |
| Austria | 54 |
| Germany | 48 |
| Switzerland | 42 |
With growing populations in major cities, rising construction costs present a challenge for housing supply.
The rental market is another factor in the equation.
As reported by Statista, countries with more mature rental markets, such as France, Germany, the UK, and Switzerland, tend to have lower homeownership rates.
Over the past few years, the share of homeowners among the population of all 27 European countries has remained relatively stable. On average, EU countries have a homeownership rate of 69%.
To learn more about this topic, check out this graphic showing how the majority of Americans can no longer afford an average house.